I completely agree. There's a hell of a lot to be said for having a buffer like this for your mental health. When a long-term relationship I was in collapsed an

I completely agree. There's a hell of a lot to be said for having a buffer like this for your mental health. When a long-term relationship I was in collapsed and I was struggling with a bad environment at work the one thing that stopped me from spiralling back to a more dangerous form of depression was the comfort and knowledge of having immediate expenses covered. It gave me enough breathing room to know I didn't have to panic or run away from it all. I really couldn't imagine taking on a mortgage with so little cash in the bank and relying on Steam sales. If the author could go contracting instead it seems like they'd be able to carry on with their journey between contracts. It's not perfect but would be preferable to the situation they're in now. Re. the GP's comment though - I don't understand how you could do this without any savings, there must've been some? At least rent (assuming you don't live with parents), food, internet connection - it has to be paid somehow surely - either by "you" (through savings) or family/friends taking the hit (eg letting you crash, using their facilities). With the right setup and network you could live extremely cheaply but someone is going to be paying for it. I don't think this is limited to rich kids or upper middle class teenagers (not sure of the focus on children rather than independent adults?) - if the average person can save for a holiday or whatnot - they could equally save towards living expenses, even if only "paying for my own food whilst I stay on my friends sofa rent free".